Turntable mounting for excavators or the like



y 1965 R. o. BlLLlNGS 3,197,038

TURNTABLE MOUNTING FOR EXGAVATORS OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 4, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvsmoa R.O. Billifigs Attorneys FI'G.1

July 27, 1965 R. o. BILLINGS 3,197,038

TURNTABLE MOUNTING FOR EXCAVATORS OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 4, 1963 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR.

R.O.Billings Attorneys United States Patent M 3,l7,035 TURNTAhLE MGLJNTENG FGR EXCAVATQRS 03: THE LHKE Roy 8. Billings, Box 2611, Miiwaalsee 14, Wis. Filed Jan. i, 1%3, Ser. No. 249,364 7 Claims. (Cl. 2l2-) This invention relates to an improved turntable mountin for excavators or the like.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel turntable mounting assemblage for excavators, cranes, or similar material-handling machines, which is considerably simpler and less expensive in design and construction than the rotatable turntable structures in present use.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a mounting assemblage for a rotatable turntable wherein no supplementary supports, tracks, hook rollers, or peripheral supporting means are required, and wherein said rotatable turntable is, nevertheless, stable and will not tip or tilt under the strain of a load.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel, inexpensive turntable mounting assemblage which is particularly well suited for use in small, compact excavators of the type designed for dig ing basement pipe lines, ditches, footings, and similar relatively small-scale excavating jobs, but which improved assemblage will also have utility in larger excavators, cranes, and other loadengaging machines.

With the above and other objects in view, which other objects and advantages of the present assemblage will become apparent hereinafter, the invention consists of the improved turntable mounting for excavators or the like, and all of its parts and combinations as set forth in the following specification and claims, and all equivalents thereof.

in the accompanying drawings, wherein there is shown one preferred form of the invention, and wherein the same reference numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an excavator provided with the novel turntable mounting assemblage comprising the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the center post-supporting frame, looking downwardly as indicated by the line 2-2. of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the center post and its supporting members, taken along the line 33 of PEG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one of the center post bearings, taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the turntable,.taken approximately along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of the center post and sprocket assembly.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, illustrated therein is a crawler-type excavator featuring the novel turntable mounting assemblage comprising the present invention. As will be noted, said excavator generally includes frame side members 10 supporting a pair of endless link belt tracks 11, and a rotatable deck or turntable 12 positioned above said tracks. Mounted on said turntable is the operators seat 13, engine 14, boom assemblage l5, and hydraulic control valves 16. In the use of the excavator illustrated, hydraulic means are provided for rotating the entire turntable 12 to position the boom over the intended digging area, for lowering the digging implement (not shown) into engagement with the earth, and for raising and emptying the load.

It is to be understood that while the novel turntable supporting structure comprising the present invention,

ddhld d Patented July 27, 1955 and hereinafter described, is particularly well suited for use in a compact excavator of the type shown, it is by no means limited in this respect. It is contemplated that the the present structure will have utility in larger excavators, cranes, and other digging or lifting machines, as well, and the invention is intended to include not only the illustrated embodiment but also any and all modifications thereof as may come within the spirit of said in vention.

With reference now to PEG. 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that spanning the excavator side members 10 is a pair of flanged frame elements 17 and 18 which are bolted or otherwise rigidly secured thereto, and which frame elements are angled toward each other to form an X-shaped frame, the converging center portions of said frame elements being spaced apart as shown. Bolted to the adjacent center portions of said X-frame elements is a pair of parallel vertical plates 19 (FIGS. 2 and 3), and welded to and between said base plates, and extending upwardly a substantial distance therebeyond is the vertical, hollow center post 2-9 employed in the present invention. Welded or otherwise rigidly secured to said center post and to the top edges of said base plates is a disc 21 havin apertures 22 for bolts 22' (PEG. 5) for bolting onto the upper face of said disc a sprocket 23 (PEG. 6) of larger diameter, thus providing a rigid, nonrotatable center post and sprocket assembly.

The turntable 12 in the illustrated structure is generally a truncated circle in form, and is provided with a pair of angle bars 26 on its underside which straddle the aforementioned center post and sprocket assembly. As appears in FIG. 6, the post-supporting plates 15 preferably extend upwardly to a point below the angle bars 26. The center post opening of the turntable is defined by a sleeve 27 which surrounds said center post to permit a certain amount of play between said post and turntable.

As mentioned, the center post 26 extends upwardly a substantial distance above the turntable 12 through a pair of vertically-spaced bearing units 28. As is clear from FIG. 6, each bearing unit includes an inner race 29 which is secured by set screws to the center post, and an outer race 3%, there being ball bearing elements 30 therebetween. These bearings are of a type which are selfaligning in all directions and which have a free rolling action, with full load capacity maintained even with shaft deflection or misalignment. Series 200 and 300 ball bearings, made by Link-Belt Company, are effective in carrying out the features of the present invention. The bearings include pillow blocks 52 which are secured to the upright angle supports 69, the latter being rigidly secured at their lower ends to the horizontal angle members 5% (see FIG. 4). These members 59 are, in turn, secured by bolts 51 to the turntable, the bolts extending through the turntable door and through the flanges of the turntable reinforcing angles 26, as is shown by the break in FIG. 1. Thus the pillow blocks are rigidly supported from the turntable in vertically-spaced position thereabove. The lowermost bearing 28 is preferably seated on a circumferential shoulder 53 on the center post, as shown in FIG. 5, to positively support the turntable against downward movement while permitting free rotation around the stationary center post. Thus there is provided a mounting assemblage whereby the turntable is rotatable about the rigid center post, but whereby the vertically-spaced bearing units 25 ensure the stability of said turntable and prevent the tipping of the same under the strain of a load. This is an important feature of the invention.

Mounted on the underside of the turntable is a pair of single-acting hydraulic rams 34 and 35, said rams being provided with rotatable sprockets 36 on their outer ends, and trained thereabout and about the rigid, nonrotatable center post sprocket 23 is a chain 37. Said .r, at: chain has one end secured to and dead-ended to the end of the turntable, as at 38, while the opposite end of said chain 37 is secured to and dead-ended to the turntable as at 39. Also mounted on the underside of said turntable is a pair of rotatable sprockets 4t having a so-called tie-in chain.41 trained thereabout and attached to the outer, free ends of said hydraulic rams 34 and 35, said tie-in chain being-designed to guide and stabilize said rams. when the latter are extended, and functioning to prevent swing drift.

The hydraulic fluid lines 42 in the present structure are carried in the hollow interior of thecenter post 29, said post forming a conduit whereby said lines will not tangle or foul when the turntable is rotated. Said hydraulic lines are connected to the operators control valves 16 and to a reservoir (not shown) mounted on the turntable, and communicate with the single-acting hydraulic rams 34 and 35 to provide a complete hydraulic system, as is well known in the art. In the illustrated crawler-type excavator, a pair of hydraulic motors 43 (FIG. 2) are provided for driving the endless tracks 11, there being suitable reducers and power take-oft belts 32 therefor, but the particular type of excavator, and drive arrangement, is not important to the present invention.

In the operation of the novel turntable assemblage comprising the present invention, when it is desired to rotate the turntable to position the boom over an intended digging area, the rams 34 and 35 on the underside of said turntable are actuated, through the operators control valves 16, to extend one of said rams while simultaneously retracting the other. Said ram action causes the chain 37, which is trained about the ends of said rams and about the rigid, non-rotatable center post sprocket 23, to exert rotating force on said turntable which causes the latter to turn or rotate about said center post. During the rotation of said turntable, the entire ram and chain assembly turns therewith, of course, with the result that the chain tends to wrap around or progressively engage portions of the sprocket periphery in the direction-of rotation, while simultaneously unwrapping, or pulling free.

of, the teeth on the diametrically opposite portion of said sprocket. When it is desired to rotate the turntable and boom in the opposite direction, the movement of the rams 34 and 35 .is reversed. In the illustrated excavator, the arrangement and stroke length of the rams is designed to provide full 360 rotation of the turntable, but this fea ture may be modified to suit particular excavator requirements.

As will be seen from the foregoing detailed description, the novel turntable mounting assemblage comprising the present invention provides a simple construction which eliminates the necessity for costly machined and hardened hook rollers, tracks, and sub-bases or other supporting means at the periphery of the turntable, such as are employed on conventional excavators. With the present structure the rigid but relatively rotatable connection between the turntable and center post provided by the vertically-spaced bearing units effectively prevents tipping or tilting of said turntable even under the strain of a heavy load. Moreover, with the present mounting the self-aligning bearing units on the center post closely engage said post, and do not permit any play therebetween. This is in contrast to conventional hook rollers and the like which normally engage the periphery of a turntable where there is usually unevenness in the rollers and tracks and where wear occurs.

It is contemplated that various modifications or changes therein will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended to include herein not only the illustrated structure, but also any and all modifications or changes therein as may come within the spirit of said invention and within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a load-handling machine having a frame and having a turntable with an opening, a turntable mounting assemblage comprising a center post rigidly supported by said frame and projecting upwardly through said opening in the turntable, a sprocket wheel rigidly connected to said center post below the turntable, an upright bearing support projecting upwardly from said turntable, a plurality of bearings through which said center post projects supported in vertically-spaced position above the turntable by said upright bearing support, hydraulic rams mounted on the underside of said turntable on opposite sides of said sprocket and having extensible members with outer end sprocket wheels, and a sprocket chain deadened at both ends on the turntable and having its intermediate portion coacting with the sprocket wheel on the center post and having loops which are engaged by the sprocket wheels on the extensible members of the ram for causing rotation of said turntable about said center post when the rams are operated reversely to one another.

2. In a load-handling machine having a frame and having a turntable with an opening, a turntable mounting assemblage comprising a center post rigidly supported by said frame and projecting upwardly through said opening in the turntable, a sprocket wheel rigidly connected to said center post below the turntable, bearing means on said turntable through which said center post projects, hydraulic rams mounted on the underside of said turntable on opposite sides of said sprocket and having extensible members with outer end sprocket Wheels, and a sprocket chain deadened at both ends on the turntable and having its intermediate portion coacting with the sprocket wheel on the center post and having loops which are engaged by the sprocket wheels on the extensible members of the ram for causing rotation of said turntable about said center post when the rams are operated reversely to one another.

3. In a load-handling machine having a traction frame including a transversely-extending X-member with a central supporting portion, spaced vertical plates supported by said central supporting portion of the X-frame, a center post secured between said spaced plates and projecting upwardly from said X-frame a substantial distance above said plates, a circular power transmission member surrounding said center post and secured over the tops of said spaced plates, a turntable having a center post opening through which said center post projects, an upright bearing support projecting upwardly from said turntable, a plurality of bearings through which said center post projects supported in vertically-spaced position above the turntable by said upright bearing support, and means secured to the underside of said turntable and coacting with said circular power transmission member on the center post for causing rotation of said turntable about the center post.

4. In a load-handling machine having a traction frame including a transversely-extending X-member with a central supporting portion, spaced vertical plates supported by said central supporting portion of said X-frame, a center post secured between said spaced plates and projecting upwardly from said X-frame a substantial distance above said plates, a disk surrounding said center post and secured over the tops of said spaced plates, a sprocket wheel supported rigidly on top of said disk, a turntable having a center post opening through which said center post projects, an upright bearing support projectsing upwardly from said turntable, a plurality of bearings through which said center post projects supported in vertically-spaced position above the turntable by said upright bearing support, and means secured to the underside of said turntable and coacting with said sprocket wheel on the center post for causing rotation of said turntable about the center post.

5. In a load-handling machine having a frame and having a turntable with a top surface having an opening, a turntable mounting assemblage comprising a center post rigidly supported by said frame and projecting upwardly through said opening a substantial distance above the top surface of the turntable, a sprocket wheel rigidly connected to said center post below the turntable, an upright bearing support projecting upwardly from said turntable close to said opening, a plurality of bearings through which said center post projects supported in vertically spaced position above the top surface of the turntable by said upright bearing support, motor means mounted on the underside of said turntable, and means including a sprocket chain for said sprocket wheel driven by said motor means for causing rotation of said turntable about said center post when said motor means is operated.

6. In a load-handling machine having a traction frame including a transversely-extending frame member with a central supporting portion, spaced vertical plates supported by said central supporting portion of the frame member, a center post secured between said spaced plates and projecting upwardly from said frame member a substantial distance above said plates, a circular power transmission member surrounding said center post and secured over the tops of said spaced plates, a turntable having a center post opening through which said center post projects, an upright bearing support projecting upwardly from said turntable, a plurality of bearings through which said center post projects supported in vertically-spaced position above the turntable by said upright bearing support, and means secured to the underside of said turntable and coacting with said circular power transmission member on the center post for causing rotation of said turntable about the center post.

7. In a load-handling machine having a traction frame including a transversely-extending frame member with a central supporting portion, spaced vertical plates supported by said central supporting portion of said frame member, a center post secured between said spaced plates and projecting upwardly from said frame member a substantial distance above said plates, a disk surrounding said center post and secured over the tops of said spaced plates, a sprocket wheel supported rigidly on top of said disk, a turntable having a center post opening through which said center post projects, an upright bearing support projecting upwardly from said turntable, a plurality of bearings through which said center post projects supported in vertically-spaced position above the turntable by said upright bearing support, and means secured to the underside of said turntable and coacting with said sprocket wheel on the center post for causing rotation of said turntable about the center post.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,134,866 11/38 Esters 21269 2,838,183 6/58 McIntyre 212-68 2,858,944 11/58 Hutchinson 212-66 X 3,003,649 10/61 Przybylski 212-69 3,076,559 2/63 Crile 212--56 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A LOAD-HANDLING MACHINE HAVING A FRAME AND HAVING A TURNTABLE WITH AN OPENING, A TURNTABLE MOUNTING ASSEMBLAGE COMPRISING A CENTER POST RIGIDLY SUPPORTED BY SAID FRAME AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID OPENING IN THE TURNTABLE, A SPROCKET WHEEL RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO SAID CENTER POST BELOW THE TURNTABLE, AN UPRIGHT BEARING SUPPORT PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID TURNTABLE, A PLURALITY OF BEARINGS THROUGH WHICH SAID CENTER POST PROJECTS SUPPORTED IN VERTICALLY-SPACED POSITION ABOVE THE TURNTABLE BY SAID UPRIGHT BEARING SUPPORT, HYDRAULIC RAMS MOUNTED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID TURNTABLE ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID SPROCKET AND HAVING EXTENSIBLE MEMBERRS WITH OUTER END SPROCKET WHEELS, AND A SPROCKET CHAIN DEADENED AT BOTH ENDS ON THE TURNTABLE AND HAVING ITS INTERMEDIATE PORTION COACTING WITH THE SPROCKET WHEEL ON THE CENTER POST AND HAVING LOOPS WHICH ARE ENGAGED BY THE SPROCKET WHEELS ON THE EXTENSIBLE MEMBERS OF THE 